A Collector’s Dream

1st January 2026

Forgotten for over fifty years.

A wonderful collection of rare 18^th century English porcelains, pottery and stonewares has come to light, having been carefully packed away in plywood tea chests since 1971. Discovered amongst the nearly 80 piece collection was a single great treasure; a unique, documentary blue and white Lowestoft porcelain plate (Lot 1174), painted in underglaze blue with a flowering auricula on the front and decorative inscription on the reverse, ‘Charles Ward..July the 5 1766’ set amongst doodle-like, scrolling decoration.

Both Documentary and Documented

The Lowestoft porcelain factory was established in the Suffolk port town in the 1750s, continuing operations until the early 1800s producing tablewares and some purely decorative pieces (such as souvenirs for the early tourist market) in soft paste, which were decorated in underglaze blue or polychrome enamels. A distinguishing feature of Lowestoft porcelain is that many of the wares bear inscriptions and dates which adds a premium with collectors and gives rise to the term, ‘documentary’.

Lot 1147 dates from the factory’s ‘middle period’ of production and is described in Geoffrey A. Godden’s ‘The Illustrated Guide to Lowestoft Porcelain’, 1969. The style of the inscription on this plate is very similar to an example found on the base of a Lowestoft inkpot held at the British Museum, also referred to in Godden's book.

A keen eye for the unusual

This attractive plate last appeared on the market in 1968, when it sold to clothes designer and keen collector, Annemarie Lobbenberg (1908-1971) through Sotheby’s.

Annemarie and her husband, Hans Lobbenberg (1896-1955), fled Berlin in 1938 to settle in England, joining the company, Corsets Silhouette. As a former art student and keen amateur painter, Annemarie was invited to join the design department of the firm, which she headed up after her husband’s death in 1955.

During her life, Annemarie developed a passionate interest in collecting British 18^th century pottery and porcelain, guided by a keen eye for the unusual and aesthetically pleasing. Her collection was packed away on her death where it remained, untouched, until coming to light just a few months ago.

Chairman, Asian Art and Ceramics specialist John Axford said, "it is a great pleasure to be offering for sale, a collection that has remained hidden for 57 years."

The Lobbenberg Collection (Lots 1171-1195) will appear in the upcoming British & Continental Ceramics & Glass auction on Thursday 22^nd January 2026, alongside the Ida Clark collection of Delftware (Lots 1112-1152) and a fine collection of mid 18^th century privateer glasses (Lots 1001-1007). The pre-sale estimate for the documentary plate is £10,000-£20,000 (before auction fees).